What Halloween Means To Me '13 Day 18: Cameron Scott

If you’ve been reading the blog for any amount of time, you know how much I dig JABB Pictures and the whole Collective family.  They've introdused me to a lot of killer filmmakers, and Cameron Scott and Quattro Venti Scott Productions have been a big part of that family since the beginning.  One thing I dig about watching the Collectives from Vol. 1 on is seeing a artist's style develop, and Cameron is no exception.  He plays dead very well too.  He recently completed his first feature, Post Mortem America 2021, which has been getting rave reviews and selling like Avenged Sevenfold CDs at a frathouse. I can’t wait to see it myself.  You can but it and his other flicks HERE.  In addition to his filmmaking, he hosts a podcast called The Road To Midian where he flies the flag of independent horror.  There is no more worthy cause.  Go listen to it.  I can personally attest that he’s a cool sumbitch too.  I had a blast hanging with him and Hoover at Days of the Dead last year.  Come to think of it, he’s only the second participant on the countdown that’s been at one of my birthday parties.  Hmmm.  So Cameron, what does Halloween mean to you?

"Halloween, Hallowe'en, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain, All Soul's Day, or All Saint's day...it goes by many names. And whichever name or religious aspect of the day that draws you into the festivities, it's a colorful day of the fall season indeed. Jack'o'lanterns, makeup and costumes that turns us into a multitude of characters, games, parties and celebrations that round out the holiday. The headlining practice of Halloween has become trick or treating or 'guising' as it was called in the olden days. Children and sometimes adults alike dressing up in costumes and going door to door and filling their bags with sugary goodies. 
What it means to an individual varies, as well it should. Halloween didn't even migrate it's way to North America until the late 1800's and is still considered relatively fresh in this part of the world. What it means to this individual is this, a celebration of the strange...the bizarre...the macabre. It's that time of year when people who are (in my opinion) entitled to that one good scare, or twelve. 
The real allure of Halloween though has to be the haunted attractions, corn mazes, hayrides and decorations. What other time of the year can you drive down the avenue and see decorations to the like of tombstones, ghosts, goblins, murderous psychopaths, bloody crime scenes, and more jack'o'lanterns? It does this old heart good to see the practice has not been lost in recent years but has actually flourished.  The future of Halloween is uncertain as all things are, but I foresee that it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  It shall be around for years to come and for generations to enjoy. If I may offer a bit of philosophy to those wanting to join in on the carnival of chaos it is this: Grab a mask, hide in the shadows and wait for that perfect moment to leap out and scare someone out of their skin. I know I will be. 

 13 days ‘til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.  13 days ‘til Halloween, Silver Shamrock.

Review: The Collective Vol. 6

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know all about The Collective by now.  For you late comers, allow me to introduce you to horror cinema’s best kept secret and the most innovative concept in independent fright fare today.  The Collective is the brainchild of Jason Hoover of Jabb Pictures.  Take 10 indie horror filmmakers and give them a theme.  They each make a 10 minute short based on that theme.  Put them all together and voila; you get the indie horror sampler platter.  We’re five installments in, and all five have delivered.  In addition to being entertained by the collections themselves, they’ve served as an introduction to filmmakers whose other work I’ve enjoyed.  You can’t go wrong with these.  If you call yourself an independent horror fan and you haven’t been keeping up with The Collective, you’re doing it wrong.

Which brings us to the recently released Volume 6.  This time, it’s personal.  Yeah, I couldn’t help throwing that line in.  Whereas previous themes have involved things like each short being based on an emotion or having to use a cardboard box as the centerpiece, this time the horror comes from within.  Each filmmaker based their segment on what scares them the most.  What scares the people that scare us?  It’s a hell of a question, and it has the potential to produce some intense cinematic experiences.  It actually turned out to be one of the strongest, and definitely the darkest, of the Collective series.  Let’s break these down one by one…

1.Consequence Pictures – Speeches

We kick this collection off with the story of a man wrestling with guilt over the death of his girlfriend while being forced into his own personal hell of making speeches about drunk driving.  This one has some really cool eerie imagery and interesting editing.  One character’s creatively foul-mouthed verbiage adds a little levity to the proceedings; my favorite line being “You better put your big boy ballsack on this time.”  Great line.  I’m gonna start using that one.  I’ve said very often that it’s the little details that can ruin a good film or push it over the edge from good to great.  In this case, I was mightily impressed by one small detail; their blood.  I mean, that was great blood!  Good color, it flowed beautifully, the whole nine yards.  Good quality blood is, sadly, not something you see often in these DIY flicks.  I don’t know if they made it or bought it, but it was a thing of beauty.  The only thing I question is  watching the whole thing again in fast-forward again at the end.  I get what they were going for, but I don’t think it worked as well as they'd hoped.  Overall, a strong way to start.

2.Jarrett Furst – Edible Love

A woman’s horrific past leads her to drastic places in the quest to feel loved.  This one is pretty intense.  ***SPOILER ALERT*** It’s psychosexual take on cannibalism is actually believable, and it treats the theme seriously and thoughtfully.  I’m a sucker for a good thinking man’s cannibal flick.  ***END SPOILER ALERT*** The rape scene is perfect.  Yeah, I know, that sounds sick, but hear me out.  It’s one of the grittiest rape scenes I’ve ever seen, and it has the appropriate impact on the audience.  It feels dirty and degrading.  If you want your audience to actually be affected, that’s the way you do it.  The only problem is the audio.  The main actress spends a lot of time talking to the camera.  She’s giving a good performance and saying some pretty interesting stuff… I think.  She’s impossible to understand most of the time.  Her voice is way too low and garbled.  It’s a damn shame too, because what I could hear seemed well written.  It does get a little better as the film progresses, but this short is WAY too good to sound this damn bad.  Unfortunately, the audio problems kick Edible Love down from “That was amazing,” to “That was good, but…”

3.Mostly Harmless Pictures – Play Me

A woman receives a mysterious DVD shortly before being attacked.  This one straight up rocked.  Most of it is an extended kill scene, and you need a great victim to make that work.  Ellie Church is a great victim.  She pulls off “terrified eyes” well.  “Ironic pretty song over scenes of violence” is getting a little played out, but it works here.  There’s some inventive camera work. One little touch at the end (which I’m not gonna give away) literally had me applauding right there on the couch.  I’m not sure how to review this any further without spoiling everything, so I think I’m just gonna do my best Joe Bob Briggs impression and give you those drive-in totals…"One dead body. Two almost visible breasts. One tattoo I wanted a better look at.  Gun gagging.  Subliminal creepy dude.  Genital mutilation.  Pistol whipping.  Bondage fu.  Cheese grater fu.  Eyeballs roll.  Director Brian Williams gets the “Rob Zombie Award” for achievement in long, loving close-ups of his lead actress’ ass.  A 90 on the vomit meter. Four stars. Check it out."

4.Jerami Cruise – Insomniac

An insomniac roams the city at night, giving in to the urges that plague her sleep-deprived mind.  I could tell right away that this had to be made by someone who was intimately familiar with the subject matter, because this is as authentic as it gets.  As an insomniac who used to roam the streets of Atlanta in the wee hours, this short felt like a flashback.  Everything from the way the camera moves to the filters he used mimics the way you view the world on the 4^th or 5^th day without sleep.  Leah and I had different ideas about what the filmmaker’s driving fear was, and I like how that ambiguity allows for different levels of interpretation based on the viewer’s experience with the subject.  This one went deep in a lot of ways.  Toetag’s resident goremeister has crafted something special here.

5.Jabb Pictures – I Am No One

A filmmaker documents the life of a serial killer, but is he getting too close?  If you mixed the mechanics of Man Bites Dog with the atmosphere of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, the result would be I Am No One. I don’t know who the actor that plays Charles is (we’re never told since it’s documentary style), but damn he’s good in this. His monologues are well written, and his delivery is natural and sometimes rather chilling.  There’s a well-played tension to the final moments.  One of, if not the, high point of this volume.  Jason Hoover, the director, informed me that a feature length version of I Am No One is coming soon.  I, for one, can’t wait to see it.

6.Quattro Venti Scott – Security Violation

A man is killed by a masked duo.  This one is another extended death sequence.  The masks that the killers wear are phenomenal.  I want to know where I can get those.  Cameron Scott, the director, plays the victim and does a damn fine job.  Playing dead is one of those arts that most people don’t notice when it’s done well.  That’s how you know it’s being done well, and Cameron kills it.  His dead eyed look is dead on.  Ok, I’ll stop.  Anyway, the plastic over his face doesn’t even flutter.  Directing from onscreen is difficult, but when you have to do it as a corpse, it can be murder.  Kudos.  There are some satisfying gory touches.  I like a lot of the angles used, but a few of them showed a little too much air between the blows and the victim.  That wouldn’t have been a problem, however, had the male killer been more aggressive.  Those half swings just weren’t convincing me. Beat him like you mean it, dude!

7.Spiral Filmworks – Devotion

A sermon… and a sacrifice.  Two actors, a static camera, and the most screwed-up rendition of Amazing Grace I’ve ever heard.  I like how the scene is allowed to play out organically while the audience plays the role of both congregation and voyeur.  The way one character menaces the other, as well as the real time single set/no cuts/no camera movement format, made this one remind me a lot of some haunted house scenes I’ve performed over the years. I hear you Jason, religious zealotry kinda freaks me out too.

8.Well Hung Pictures – Trepidation

I like that it was made to look like a SOV flick.  I have a soft spot for those. There are a couple of good lines too. Unfortunately, however, this short is Vol. 6’s weak link.  Look, I dig a slow burn, but a slow burn only works on the premise that there will be a payoff.  Aside from a one second shot in the middle that gives this a somewhat implied ending, nothing scary happened.  Nothing creepy happened.  Nothing unsettling happened.  Nothing happened at all.  I’m sure there is a statement here about the banality of little fears or “nothing to fear but fear itself,” or maybe something is supposed to be read into that one shot that I’m not getting, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

9.Liberty or Death Productions – Mercy

A filmmaker is abducted and held underground for ransom.  I really dug the creative use of split-screen in the opening moments.  I don’t think I’ve seen it done exactly that way before.  Justin Forbes does a great job as the thug.  I’m not claustrophobic at all, but that hole freaked me out a little.  It’s completely plausible as something a small time criminal might plan and build.  That’s just plain old good production design. This is LOD’s best short since Fertility 2.0 in Volume 2. I refer to this one by an alternate title; “Buried Alive By Fred Durst.”  You’ll get it when you see it.

10.Graphik 13 – Skeleton

An avenging skeleton is a girl’s best friend.  I kinda took Graphik 13 to task for what I thought was a weak entry in the last Collective, and they came back with a vengeance.  This is by far the best stuff we’ve seen from them, and that’s coming from someone who loved Snapcase.  The moody black and white photography emphasizes the creepiness.  I like the way the victim/villain dichotomy plays out.  Two minutes in you know where the story is going.  That could either be a good or bad thing.  Familiar can be fun, but predictable sucks.  There’s a very subtle difference between the two, and G13 deftly manages to keep the viewer invested.  The design of the skeleton itself, a classic Grim Reaper style hooded skull look, works perfectly with the dark fairy tale elements of the story.  Interestingly, it’s also the only one that took a supernatural approach to the theme.  I would have liked to see less digital filters and transitions, but that’s just a personal taste thing.  Good stuff.

I find it very interesting that almost every single one of these revolves around interpersonal violence, neglect, or abuse in some way.  It seems that when you ask people who spend their lives scaring you what scares them, the answer is almost always the same; mankind.  Whether the fear is of yourself or other people, the darkness inherent in humanity is what freaks them out.  There’s some kind of profound statement to be made there, but I’ll save the philosophical discussions for another time. 

What I will say is that Volume Six is Jabb and the Collective crew at their finest.  Volume 4 is still my favorite, but this is a very close second.  If I had to pick a favorite from this crop, it would be a tough call between I Am No One, Insomniac, and Play Me.  Besides Trepidation, which I’m sure some of you would dig (especially the VHSphiles), everything here is firing on all cylinders.  It goes without saying that pretty much every horror fan with a brain is sick of the gutless, soulless, brainless, heartless, nutless drivel  Hollywood is trying to pass off to us these days.  There is a remedy, folks.  There is good stuff out there. If you wanna see it, and peek into what I sincerely hope is the  future of the genre, you’re gonna have to dig a little deeper.  Look to the indies.  Look to the underground.  Look to The Collective.  9 hammer smashed heads out of 10.  Nathan says check it out.

All volumes of The Collective are available HERE.

The Best Horror Flicks Of 2012 Part 1: 10-6

Before I get to the first half of my top 10 list, I’m gonna rant for just a sec.  It’s a rant you’ve heard from me before, but I’m gonna bang this drum as long as my banger still works.  Whenever I tell someone that I write about horror movies, they often say, “They just don’t make any good horror movies any more.”  When someone says that, I ask them how many independent horror movies they’ve seen lately.  Nine times out of ten, their response is “Huh?”  There’s the problem right there. 

One criticism I know I’m gonna hear about my top 10 is “But Nathan, I’ve only seen two or three of these.”  That’s because only two of my top 10 got a major theatrical release.  If you’re relying on your local multiplex for good horror, you’re shortchanging yourself folks.  I implore you, look deeper.  The good stuff isn’t coming out of Hollywood.  If you really want to see the best of what the genre currently has to offer, you’re gonna have to dig.  Not far, mind you.  Of the 8 indie flicks on my top 10, 7 are available at Redbox, on VOD, from Amazon, or are a simple google search away.  I’ve seen way too many top 10 lists this year that include mediocre major studio fare just because they only take big releases into account.  For the sake of the genre and for the sake of your entertainment, SUPPORT INDEPENDENT HORROR!

Look, I'm really not trying to sound like a film snob here, I just want more people to get a chance to see these kick ass movies.  Ok, now that I’m done proselytizing, lets get on with the countdown…

10.  Nazis at the Center of the Earth

I’ve spoken before about my love of The Asylum, the preeminent purveyors of mockbusters and SyFy channel guilty pleasures, but they outdid themselves here.  This gem is, in my opinion, the best movie ever to come out of The Asylum’s hallowed halls.  It has everything.  There’s gore, Nazi flying saucers, human experiments, gratuitous nudity, gunplay, lost worlds, and a perfectly played Dr. Mengele.  Yes, it has the over the top insanity that they are known for, but it’s got a darker, grittier, and nastier undercurrent than their usual output.  It makes for a potent b-movie cocktail.  The essence of this flick can actually be distilled into one scene.   Yes, this is a spoiler, but it’s the kind of spoiler that will only make you want to see it more.  Trust me.  There is a scene where Jake Busey performs a forced abortion on his own baby momma, then throws the stem cells into a machine that immediately gives birth to Robo-Hitler!  If you can read a sentence like that and not immediately add this to your necessary viewing list, there’s something horribly wrong with you.  I saw a lot of movies this year that may have been technically better, but I honestly can’t say that I had more fun watching any movie this year than I did with this one.

9. TIE: The Revenant and A Little Bit Zombie

Yeah, I know, a tie is technically cheating.  It’s my countdown and I’ll cheat if I want to.  In a year that provided us with a whole lot of godawful horror comedies, there was a pair of zomedies that got it right.  They both featured excellent comedic timing, good acting, crisp dialog, and quotable one-liners.  So many horror comedies are purely splatstick or “dumb comedy.”  While there is definitely a place for both of those styles, and both of these films embrace those elements, thankfully they also have brains…and not just the ones being devoured.  Both flicks also feature relatable, well-rounded characters.  The Revenant, in particular, had sequences that left me thinking “that’s EXACTLY what me and my friends would do in that situation."  I think I need new friends.  Anyway, I laughed hysterically at both of these, and I’m picky as hell about my comedy.  It’s the perfect ZomCom double feature.

8. Sinister

Take a bunch of tried and true horror tropes, throw in a couple of original ideas and interesting visual flares, and you’ve got the makings of a nice little creepfest.  I just saw this one last night, and it was a great way to close out my viewing year.  Yes, it’s painfully obvious where it’s going, but getting there is an entertaining ride.  There is some excellent spooky imagery.  Ethan Hawke does a good job in the lead.  There is even come awesome comic relief embedded in the dialog.  The “bedroom argument” scene had me rolling.  Plus, Mr. Boogie is just plain cool looking.  I’ve seen this film compared to Insidious in some reviews, but Sinister is the superior of the two in every way.  What really cemented this flick’s place on the list however, is that – I can’t believe I’m gonna admit this – this was the only movie I saw in a theater this year that actually got me with a jump scare.  In fact, it got me twice.  One of them I even saw coming a mile away and it still worked.  Well played gentlemen, well played.

7. Cell Count

Body horror came back in a big way this year, with Cell Count being one of the films leading the charge.  We can all relate to the fear of our own bodies turning against us and the unease of not really understanding what our doctor is doing to us.  Cell Count plays on these very real fears with a clinical ferocity.  This kind of claustrophobic ensemble piece requires good performances all around to work, and this cast definitely comes through.  I’m a sucker for mad scientists, and Dr. Victor Brandt is the best one since Dr. Heiter.  Director Todd E Freeman mainly sticks with practical effects, and when he does, they’re imaginative and messy.  By never revealing too much at one time, the film creates some real tension while still providing sick jollies for the gorehounds, which is a balance many can’t manage.   This refreshingly “old school” combination of the prison/isolation and disease/infection subgenres really gets under your skin.

6. The Collective Volume 4

Some of the best, most innovative filmmaking going on today can be found in short films.  Unfortunately, they’re criminally underseen because, outside of festivals, they don’t really have a showcase.  JABB Pictures is changing that with their Collective series.  The Concept: ten filmmakers each make a ten-minute film based around a central theme.  It’s basically an indie horror sampler platter.  JABB released volumes 3-5 of the series this year; and Volume 4, with each film tackling a different emotion, proved to be the epitome of what the series is all about.  From the gritty, nihilistic realism of Luke 1:71 to the gross out excesses of Epidemic to the faux grindhouse madness of Bloody Hooker Bang Bang: A Love Story, this one truly has something to scratch everyone’s particular macabre itch.  The Collective series gets my vote as the best horror value for your buck on the indie market right now, and Volume 4 is the best of the bunch…so far.

Come back tomorrow for 5-1.

UPDATE: 
- Nazis at the Center of the Earth, A Little Bit Zombie, and The Revenant are all available on Netflix or on DVD/Blu Ray.
- Cell Count is available on itunes, Amazon instant, VUDU, Playstation Network, XBox Live, and just about every other VOD service you can think of.
- All 5 Volumes of The Collective are available at  http://www.jabbpictures.com.  They're just 10 bucks each, or get all 5 (that's over 8 hours) for $40.
- Sinister, well, you shouldn't have a hard time finding that one. 

See, your old pal SOC made it easy on 'ya. 

Review: The Collective Vol. 5

I still love zombies.  I always have, and I always will.  There are a lot of people, however, who would have you believe that everything that can be done in the zombie genre has been done.  The Collective begs to differ.  According to JABB Pictures, there’s life left in the old, shambling, desiccated corpse yet; and they’re out to prove it with The Collective Volume 5.  You Cellmates already know of my love for JABB and these collections.  You also know what the deal is with these by now, but for those new to this Dead Man’s Party (admit it, it’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it?), here’s how this goes.  10 different filmmakers (actually, 8 this time around) are given a central theme. For Vol. 5, it’s zombies. They each produce a 10-minute short film giving their take on the concept. So, did Jason and crew breathe new life into a tired genre, or are they just beating a dead horse?  Let’s see…

Marauders – Jason Hoover

In the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, a group of psychos terrorize the survivors.  Jason Hoover’s are usually among my favorite entries in these Collective collections, but this one was all style over substance.  Visually, it’s got a cool idea, with everything in black and white except certain colorized characters or items.  As usual, Jason shows he knows how to move the camera and compose a shot well.  The problem is that nothing much happens.  There are some really nice touches that make the Marauders creepy and interesting, but we spend way too much of this watching them driving around hoopin’ and hollerin’.  When the mayhem finally does start, it’s of the “out of frame” variety.  I like the look, but a story, or at least a clear concept, would have been nice.  It’s also the least “zombierific” of the bunch, as we never see a zombie., and it actually could have taken place in any post-apocalyptic setting.  There is one line in particular that is REALLY funny though.

  

Voice Over – Arsonist Pictures

A man is bitten by a zombie, and as the change takes hold, that inner voice just won’t leave him alone.  That’s gonna make his date tonight a little awkward.  I loved this one.  I’m a big fan of animated opening credit sequences, a-la Night of the Demons or Blacula, so I knew when I saw one that this was gonna be good.  While I could do without the occasional  “same shot/jump cut” thing, everything else was perfect.  The verbal interplay between out protagonist and his inner zombie voice was hilarious and played very well by Noah East.  The comic timing is on point.  In fact, the people I watched it with and I imitated that voice for days.  Very well done horror comedy, and definitely the best use of the Zombie theme.  One of the two major highlights of this volume.  I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to this.

They Said They Were Here To Help – Over Analyzed Productions 

When a strange plague begins, a freelance journalist finds himself in the middle of a government cover up.  This is a case study in how to pick a great location and squeeze every last bit production value out of it.  It ends up looking way better than it probably should for the budget.  While his climactic monolog seems somewhat forced, Collective veteran Brad Scaggs does a good job in the lead role.  The atmosphere reminded me a little bit of the original 1973 The Crazies.  By the way, if your goal with the name of your production company was an inside joke on us reviewers, then well played Over Analyzed.  Well played.

Consumption of the Heart – Copp Films 

A couple’s romantic flame has fizzled…until they discover that a mysterious plague is also a potent aphrodisiac.  This is the other big highlight.  I dig this kind of psychosexual stuff a lot, but too often it’s done completely from the crotch and less from the brain or heart.  While it’s certainly the most erotically charged entry in the series to date, it is also an intelligently told “love” story.  It works on a “blood and tits” level, but it also works on an “exploration of how mankind, stripped of their limits, will follow desire to the point of self destruction” level.  Visually, I was impressed by the use of color.  Some scenes have a bit of a middle-period Argento look to them.  Could Italian horror have been an influence?  The Cat in the Brain poster on the bedroom wall says maybe.   The strength of The Collective is that different filmmakers get to show off their unique styles, and this one certainly has a lot of style.    Great stuff.

A(Gore) aphobic - Quattro Venti Scott Productions

During the zombie outbreak, a woman trapped all alone in her apartment does her best not to lose her mind.  With the exception of a couple of scenes of the zombies outside (which are probably the best looking zoms in this collection), we spend the entire time in the apartment watching our heroine slowly lose it.  With a movie of this sort, you have to have a great performance out of your main actress.  Now don’t get me wrong, Athena Prychodko is good, and she would have been fine in a normal role, but one written this introspectively required a little heavier dramatic lifting than she could pull off here.  If she had been given a little more to do, it might have worked a lot better.  Also, those pesky sound level issues rear their ugly heads here. 

Zombie Soup – Liberty or Death Productions

A bunch of people, including some of the Collective filmmakers, answer questions about the zombie phenomenon.  This is where this volume really heads off the rails and careens downhill for me.  In all of the previous editions, there were entries that I loved and entries I hated, but they were all artistic endeavors and felt like the filmmaker actually had something to say.  For the first time, I feel like the Collective has filler.  This ten-minute talking head segment offers up a couple of laughs (certainly NOT the lame political jokes); but – if anything - this should have been a bonus feature on the disc rather than one of the shorts.  It feels like they were short a segment and had to whip one up right quick.  Honestly, as I watched it, I was shocked that this made it in. 

(se)XX _ Z(ombie) – Silence in the Dead of Light 

What’s a group of gals to do for sexual satisfaction in the age of zombies?  Well, they could take care of each other…or they could use the ghoulish dudes locked in the basement as undead sex toys.  This is a pretty cool concept; an old school silent movie with old school silent movie music and old school silent movie title cards.  The whole “zombie sex slave” idea is pretty cool too.  Unfortunately, the possibilities presented by that central conceit are barely explored.  True, the proceedings are livened up by some zombie sex and a hilariously awkward “lesbian scene” (if you can call it that) between two ladies that seem like they’d rather be doing anything else besides said scene, but way too much time goes to watching zombies in their tighty whiteys milling about.  I wish the actual relationship and conflict between all of the girls had taken center stage more.  It does show progression as a filmmaker on the part of Athena Prychodko since her contribution to Vol. 3, so I’m interested to see where she goes from here.

Spooky Stuff: The Zombie File – Liberty or Death Productions

A couple of ghost hunters go to haunted locations looking for zombies.  Um, what?  At first I thought this was just a parody of internet ghost hunting shows.  Later, I found out that these guys do a real internet paranormal investigation show.  I wish I had known this was a joke episode of an actual “reality” series.  I would have understood what was going on better, and I would have seen that godawful ending coming.    Robin is actually a great personality on the web series, but she doesn’t get a chance to shine here.  The last location they visit, the 100 Steps Cemetery in Brazil, Indiana, has a really cool legend that could actually be a great basis for a short, but the “ghost hunt” format and overall jokey tone completely kill it.

The Dead Things Outside Your Door Parts 1 and 2 – Graphik 13

A grumpy electrician must save his ex from a drug dealer and zombies.  As with last volume, the last two segments are actually a two-part flick.  I was hoping for another fun as hell “Bloody Hooker Bang Bang” style romp to salvage the second half of the collection.  I didn’t get it.    What I got instead was garden-variety splatstick.  The opening title cards and stock footage would have worked much better as a voice over.  I’m sure the style of the humor will be some folk’s cup of guts, but for me it felt flat and was not quite as good as I’ve seen from these guys before.  I did enjoy all of the homages (Romero Realty, O’Bannon Construction), and the callback to Snapcase (Graphik 13’s excellent entry from The Collective Vol. 2) was awesome.  There are a couple of choice bits of zombie mayhem, but the devil was in the details.  You do not bang a foam hammer against a door if you’re not going to insert the appropriate sounds.  Speaking of sound effects, many of them seem to have been chosen for comic effect, which didn’t work.  I love the old “blood splatters onto the camera lens” gag, but it only works with practical blood.  With CGI, it just looks cheap.  Maybe I’m just being picky about my comedy, as I tend to do, but this one really didn’t do it for me.

Man, I hate to say it, but overall this one was a bit of a letdown, especially considering just how great volumes 1-4 were.  The bad news is that Collective veterans Over Analyzed, Jason Hoover, Quatro Venti Scott, and Graphik 13, while not all turning in bad entries per se (They Said They Were Here To Help in particular), each turn in their weakest work of the series.  What makes it worse is that I know from the other Collectives that all of these guys are capable of making some killer shorts.  How did all of you have an off day at once?  Liberty or Death, um, I’m not sure what the hell happened there.  Did you guys just stop trying, or was it a “down to the wire, have to turn in something” situation?  Either way, their two entries were hands down the worst of this bunch, and drug the overall average down with them.  Silence in the Dead of Light is the only production group who shows up better than they did before, as (se)XX _ Z(ombie) is a vast improvement over Jog from vol. 3.  This volume was extremely lopsided, with the four films I really dug being the first four.  After that, it kinda crashed and burned.

The good news is that both newcomers to the series, Arsonist Pictures (Joshua Hull) and Copp Films (Andrew Copp) knock it out of the park.  Voice Over and Consumption of the Heart both actually offer up something rare in the horror market right now, as well as the idea The Collective Volume 5 was based on…a unique twist on the zombie genre.  Voice Over goes for laughs, and it delivers.  Consumption of the Heart is more artsy and transgressive, and it succeeds admirably.  This was my first exposure to both of these filmmakers’ work, and I’m excited to see what else they have to offer.  Hopefully they will take part in future Collectives, because these two shorts are fantastic.

I know I’m being awfully hard on this one.  I remember when I was a kid and my folks used to give me that “If you were a C student, we’d be happy with these grades, but we know you’re capable of A’s, so you’re grounded” bullshit.  That’s kinda how I feel about The Collective Volume 5.   I think the problem here, and I know for a fact that at least one person heavily involved in the production feels the same way, is that it’s a case of burnout.  3 of these have been released in 9 months.  That’s just too much.  Slow down.  Release one every 6 months maybe.  I don’t want to give you the wrong impression though.  It’s still definitely worth checking out.  They just set the bar so high, especially with Vol. 4, that it’s gonna be tough to consistently hit that level of badassery.  Trust me, Voice Over and Consumption of the Heart alone would make this a worthy purchase, especially considering that it’s only 10 bucks.  That’s still one of the best horror entertainment values going.  I guess The Collective is kinda like sex.  When it’s good, it’s great!  When it’s sub par…hell, it’s still pretty  good.  One severed thumb up.   Nathan says check it out.

What Halloween Means To Me Day 11: Jason Hoover (JABB Pictures)

Welcome to Independent Horror Filmmakers week here at the “What Halloween Means To Me” countdown.  One of the most exciting concepts to come down the indie horror pike in a long, long time is JABB Pictures’ “The Collective” series.  Each volume is a collection of 10 shorts, 10 minutes long each, all revolving around the same theme.  For example, in Volume 2 each filmmaker was given a small cardboard box that they had to incorporate as a major plot element.  In Vol 3, they each had to come up with a unique take on the concept “10 Minutes to Live.”  Get the picture?  I’ve reviewed Volumes 1-4.  They’re over there in the archive.  I’m too lazy to dig up all 4 links.  The zombie themed Collective Volume 5 premieres Nov. 16 at the Days of the Dead convention in Chicago, and will be available on DVD shortly thereafter.  Follow JABB on Facebook HERE to keep up on the latest goings on and go HERE to order DVDs. You can get all 4 volumes of The Collective for 30 bucks, which at just over 6 hours of awesomeness is about as much bang for your buck as you're gonna find anywhere.  Anyway, Jason Hoover, in addition to being one of the filmmakers featured in the Collective series, is the mastermind behind the whole thing.  He runs JABB Pictures.  My absolute favorite thing about Jason is that he has no filmmaking training, is completely self taught, and turns out great, entertaining, innovative stuff.  He’s pretty damn prolific too, having made 13 short films in the last 2 years.  He’s currently hard at work on his first feature (due out in early 2013), but he took some time out to tell us what Halloween means to him…

"My Halloween experience has changed a lot over the years. As a kid my only concern was to collect as much candy as my freshly removed pillow case could sustain without ripping to shreds. I was a candy marauder!
I would often pick my costume based on agility as opposed to character. It was all about "the pile". Few things make a young, overweight boy happier than standing over a heaping pile of sugary goodness. I would eat myself sick, then start again. It was beautiful; gluttony in it's finest form. Ahhh… the good old days.

 As a teenager, "The Great Candy Caper" began to fade. Each year I found myself wanting candy less and chaos more. Bag snatching, egg throwing, toilet paper covered chaos. I wasn't a criminal by any means but I was a definite pain in the ass for the residents of Aroma Park, IL. Halloween became an excuse to plunder and run wild. Looking back, I think I was just trying to fit in with the local hoods I had befriended. I truly hope that my actions as a young man had no lasting effects on the victims of my antics. 

Now that I'm all grown up and have kids of my own, I find great joy in being on the other side of the door. Now I am the victim of the new breed of marauders. I willingly supply them with all the confections I was once showered in. I revel in the endless parade of eager, sugar fueled little people running amuck through my small town. I say to them, "Onward young plunderers! Go forth and amass a pile like the world has never seen! May you all have a Happy Halloween!"

16 days ‘til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.  16 days ‘til Halloween.  Silver Shamrock!

Review: The Collective Vol. 4

First of all, I have to apologize to Jason Hoover and JABB pictures for taking so long to get this review done. Life gets in the way sometimes…

The Collective is back, and this time they’re getting in touch with their emotions. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean we’re going the Lifetime/Hallmark route. No, what we’ve got here is an exploration of the darker side of the emotional spectrum. For those of you who are new to the Collective series (you can read my reviews of Vol. 1,2, and 3 HERE, HERE, and HERE), I’ll explain the format. 10 different filmmakers are given a central theme. They then each produce a 10-minute (approx) short film giving their take on the concept. This one is a little different. Instead of having one central idea, like “10 Minutes to Live” or an object like “The Box” that everyone had to incorporate, JABB left the concept more open. Each film focuses on a different emotion. So, how did Vol. 4 stack up against the first three installments? Let’s break ‘em down one by one, shall we?

1. Untitled – JABB Pictures

Emotion: Grief

This was a killer way to start the show. A couple finds themselves in a dimly lit basement; tied to chairs and being menaced by two men hell bent on vengeance…but for what? The unique thing about this short is that it was filmed in one continuous take, and consists of one continuous circular dolly shot. The use of shadow is perfect. It obscures the physical violence at times, leaving the screams to tell the story. The only issue is that the villains are sometimes hard to understand, but it doesn’t really hurt the overall effect. There was one little detail that I absolutely loved. **SPOILER ALERT** One of the things that people often don’t handle well in movies is strangulation. It drives me nuts. They make it too quick. It takes a while to strangle someone. Here, when one of the characters is strangled, they keep gasping for air for a good long time after the initial struggle. It was the best strangulation I’ve seen in ages. **END SPOILER ALERT** JABB comes through as usual.

2. Contrition – 3 O’Clock Productions

Emotion: Regret

A scientist must fight for her family when an experiment goes awry. This entry was about as technically sound as it gets. It looks great. The acting was on point. The only thing I can call it on technically is a nitpick; when someone says “You son of a…” they should be cut off, not just stop talking. It was extremely well directed, but I wish it had been a little more visceral, or a little more suspenseful, or a little more…well, anything. As Leah put it, it needed “more umph.” There is a lot of well-done dialog, but the action needed to hit a little harder to balance it. I did enjoy the little nod to Psycho at the end though. Not bad by any means, just a little flat. It was written and directed by Jim Dougherty, who I met at Days of the Dead Atlanta. He gave me a copy of Leach, a movie that he starred in that I really dug. It’s a small world after all.

3. Flash of Wire – Winged Dolphin Pictures

Emotion: Schadenfreude

Yeah, I had to look it up too. Apparently Schadenfreude means “pleasure derived from the misfortune of others.” It would have been nice of them to explain that. If they didn’t want you to know during the movie, at least put it in the credits. Anyway, this one is all about a man who goes to his friendly local Hypnotist/Dream Interpreter/Taxidermist to discuss his recurring nightmares. I love the look of this one. The dream sequences were shot in Naxos, Greece, and the exotic locale lends a lot to the atmosphere of these scenes. Our main actor gives a very unnatural and awkward performance. I’m gonna go ahead and assume that was an artistic choice and not just bad acting. Dr. Thanatopolis is a brilliant character. I would love to see more of him. In fact, just like the DJ in Vol. 1, the good doctor would be perfect as the wraparound story of an anthology. Another winner.

4. Epidemic – Dustin Mills Productions

Emotion: Trust

Is trust really an emotion? Whatever, I’m not gonna get technical about it. Bring on some body horror! Poor Brandon. It seems he’s got that virus that’s going around. You know, the one that makes you puke blood and your skin to meltoff. The voice on the phone is telling him that help is on the way, and he can trust them…right? This one was a lot of fun. Much of the credit goes to Brandon Salkil as, um, Brandon. He’s the only person onscreen for most of the proceedings, and if his performance had been subpar, it would have sunk the whole affair. Luckily, he kills it. He manages to be both sympathetic and comedic. The gross-out physical effects are excellent. I know in the past I’ve gotten on some of the Collective entries for poor sound editing, but this was the exact opposite. The sound was used for dramatic effect better than I see in most major motion pictures. This one was funny, splatterific, and unsettling all at the same time.

5. Death Do Us Part – Liberty or Death Productions

Emotion: Lust

Ok, just for the record, lust is NOT an emotion. But, if I’ll let trust slide, I guess lust can too. Anyway, in Death Do Us Part we follow a paranormal investigator as she ventures alone into a house inhabited by the horny spirit of a groom who lost his bride on their wedding night. Normally, ghost stories are not my thing at all, but this managed to keep my interest. I think using the sepia filter as a way to distinguish between the “real world” and “spirit world” was a great idea. It gave it that “old photograph” feel. Plus, we got our first boobs in a Collective flick, and that’s always a good thing. I didn’t hate a “ghost hunter” movie, and that’s saying something.

6. Myctophobia – Freakwolf Productions

Emotion: Fear

A woman with Myctophobia (fear of the dark) is left home alone when her husband goes away on a business trip. What’s the worst that can happen? This one feels a lot like an EC comics story, which is a template that works phenomenally for short films. A good central performance by Kitsie Duncan anchors the whole thing. It was so good that it almost made me forgive those “why the hell is the camera wobbling for no reason” shots that I hate so much. Almost. There’s a very well done false scare, and the CGI that is used is kept simple, so it is actually effective. The climax takes the film in a completely unexpected direction that I didn’t see coming at all. I like it when a movie can surprise me.

7. Luke 1:71: A Story of Hate – Red Panic Button Films

Emotion: Hate

“That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us.” – Luke 1:71. The boy wonder, Dakota Meyer, is back with his best work yet. We follow a day in the life of Luke, a young man who hates everything and everyone. This is less a narrative than it is a portrait of a character, and it is outstanding. The use of the soundtrack, the locations, the editing, Ben Peck’s powerful performance, and even the way the credits are written all come together perfectly into a true tour de force piece of filmmaking. It doesn’t fit into the horror genre per se’. The horror comes from the fact that we have all known a Luke, and perhaps been a Luke, at some point in our lives. At only 14, Meyer has created the most potent look at the raw nihilism of youth since Kids. Hell, maybe since Romper Stomper. I had professors in film school that would cream their corduroys over this one.

8. Untitled. No, that’s not the title, I mean there’s no title. Now I’m getting confused. You know what I’m saying, right? – Spiral Filmworks

Emotion: Denial

As usual, Spiral Filmworks (aka Jason Hoover) gives us the most unconventional film of the bunch. In this one we are treated to haunting images of a once idyllic looking but now very much abandoned small town as a narrator recounts the tale of a series of grisly murders that occurred there. I’ve said for years that oral storytelling is becoming a lost art, but this was a great example of how it can be done right. The scenery gives the tale that extra little bit of kick to make it really work. A cool change of pace.

9. Another one with no title…kinda – Over Analyzed Productions

Emotion: Envy

There was a moment during this one where it dawned on me that I had a notebook in hand and was jotting down notes for a review of a film by a company called Over Analyzed productions. I suddenly felt like a parody of myself. Well-played guys. Anyway, a whore’s geeky roommate gets way more than she bargained for when she decides to try her hand as a call girl. They set up the characters quickly, simply, and effectively. The tension builds to a complete change of tone at the climax. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it gets wacky. There are some fun moments, along with some truly horrible CGI. I mean HORRIBLE. As it ended, I looked over at Leah and said “That would have been a great start to a longer movie.” Then, low and behold…

10. Bloody Hooker Bang Bang: A Love Story – Cinephreak Productions

Emotion: Rage

…the story continues! Now we follow our heroines of ill repute and their pimp as they fight for their lives. This is one of those over the top “grindhouse” style parodies, and it’s a blast. Unbelievably awesome lines, some hilarious gags, ridiculous characters, and nearly non-stop action are the order of the day. The god-awful CGI continues, along with some pointless shaky-cam, but I was too busy laughing to get mad at these usual deal breakers. I really wish someone would give these guys the budget to make a feature length version of Bloody Hooker Bang Bang. This was damn good. With more time to build the story and some decent practical effects, this could be something great.

Great Moments In Dialog Continuity: Geek tells whore “You left your phone, I answered…” when explaining how she got into her situation. The phone that she answered was a big ass, old school rotary phone. Of course she left it. It’s a landline. Duh.

Overall, Volume 4 is probably the most consistently high quality of all of the Collective presentations to date. The filmmaking is as solid as you’re ever gonna find in an indie shorts collection. At its weakest it’s good. At its best it’s brilliant. I do have one issue however. This is probably my least favorite theme thus far. It’s too broad. A lot of the fun of the first three Collectives was seeing how each group of filmmakers interpreted one statement or object. Here, they each have a different emotion to tackle. The fact that there’s such a wide array of choices means that the unifying factor doesn’t really shine through. While this is definitely my favorite Collective so far, I would like to see them return to a tighter, more cohesive theme in the future.

If you want a good look at the kind of killer work the current crop of indie horror filmmakers have to offer, look no further than The Collective Vol. 4. From gore to grindhouse to ghosts; this collection has something to scratch everyone’s particular macabre itch. I had my doubts as to whether they could maintain the momentum of the first three, and JABB did so with flying colors…particularly red. Vol. 5 is close on the horizon, and I couldn’t be more excited. Two severed thumbs up. Nathan says check it out.